Sample paper · GCSE Foundation · grades 1–5

GCSE Foundation sample Paper 1 (non-calculator)

The real Paper 1 is 1.5 hour 30 minutes and 80 marks, non-calculator, and all three papers carry equal weight. This sample is 20 original questions in the same content proportions as the Foundation qualification — number 25%, algebra 20%, ratio, proportion and rates of change 25%, geometry and measures 15%, probability 7.5%, statistics 7.5% — with no calculator-only items. AO1 / AO2 / AO3 at this tier: 50% / 25% / 25%.

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GCSE Foundation sample Paper 1 (non-calculator)

Maths · GCSE Foundation · Paper 1 · Non-calculator · 20 questions

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1.At midday the temperature in the Lake District was 3 °C. By midnight it had fallen to −6 °C. Work out the fall in temperature.
(a)9 °C
(b)6 °C
(c)3 °C
(d)−9 °C
2.Work out the coordinates of the reflection of (6, −3) in the y-axis.
(a)(−6, −3)
(b)(6, −3)
(c)(−6, 3)
(d)(6, 3)
3.A graph shows y plotted against x. The graph is a curve that gets closer to both axes but never touches them, and y decreases as x increases. Write down whether this graph could show direct proportion, inverse proportion, or neither.
(a)Inverse proportion
(b)Neither, because the graph does not pass through the origin
(c)Neither, because a curve cannot show a proportional relationship
(d)Direct proportion
4.Which of the following is the correct definition of a regular polygon?
(a)All of its sides are equal in length
(b)It has at least one line of symmetry
(c)Equal sides and equal interior angles
(d)All of its interior angles are equal
5.A spinner can land on red, blue, green or yellow, and it cannot land on more than one colour. The probability that it lands on red is 0.05 and the probability that it lands on yellow is 0.35. The probability that it lands on blue is twice the probability that it lands on green. Work out the probability that it lands on green.
(a)0.4
(b)0.6
(c)0.2
(d)0.3
6.A teacher records the number of pets owned by each of 25 pupils in a class; each pupil owns 0, 1, 2, 3 or 4 pets. The teacher wants to show how many pupils own each number of pets. Write down the most suitable type of chart for this data, and give a reason for your answer.
(a)A vertical line chart (discrete numerical data)
(b)A scatter graph (compares two variables)
(c)A pie chart (shows proportions of the whole)
(d)A bar chart (for data in named categories)
7.Jack buys 3 books, each costing £4.25, and pays with a £20 note. Work out how much change he receives.
(a)£12.75
(b)£8.25
(c)£7.25
(d)£7.75
8.A student solves the simultaneous equations 2x + y = 11 and x − y = 1 by elimination, adding the two equations together. Which of these is the correct result of that step?
(a)3x = 12
(b)3x = 10
(c)3x + 2y = 12
(d)x = 12
9.Four graphs are described below. Each shows one quantity plotted against another. Write down the description of the graph that shows two quantities in direct proportion.
(a)A curve that falls steeply and then levels off, never touching either axis
(b)A straight line crossing the vertical axis at 5, rising from left to right
(c)A straight line through the origin, rising from left to right
(d)A horizontal straight line at a height of 3 above the horizontal axis
10.A trapezium-shaped allotment plot has two parallel sides that face each other, and two sloping sides that are equal in length (an isosceles trapezium). One of the angles next to the shorter parallel side is 118°. Work out the angle next to the other end of the same shorter parallel side.
(a)180°
(b)59°
(c)62°
(d)118°
11.Two sets, A and B, sit inside a universal set. A region of a Venn diagram is described by the notation A ∩ B′. Work out which of these describes that region.
(a)The elements that are in both A and B
(b)The elements that are in B but not in A
(c)The elements that are in A but not in B
(d)The elements that are in neither A nor B
12.A shape is made by joining a rectangle measuring 10 cm by 6 cm to a semicircle of diameter 6 cm along one of the rectangle's shorter sides. Work out the exact area of the shape, in terms of π.
(a)(60 + 3π) cm²
(b)(60 + 4.5π) cm²
(c)(60 + 9π) cm²
(d)(60 + 18π) cm²
13.Solve the inequality 5x − 3 > 2x + 9.
(a)x > 4
(b)x > 2
(c)x < 4
(d)x > 36
14.A table shows three pairs of values: when x = 2, y = 6; when x = 5, y = 15; when x = 8, y = 24. In every pair the ratio y : x is the same. Write down a formula for y in terms of x.
(a)y = x/3
(b)y = x + 16
(c)y = 3x
(d)y = x + 4
15.A polygon has 9 sides. What is the name of this polygon?
(a)Octagon
(b)Nonagon
(c)Heptagon
(d)Decagon
16.Round 24,681 to the nearest 1,000.
(a)24,700
(b)24,000
(c)20,000
(d)25,000
17.Which of these statements is an equation with exactly one solution?
(a)5x − 3 = 12
(b)5x − 3 = 5x − 3
(c)5x − 3 > 12
(d)5x − 3 = 5x + 2
18.Write the ratio 4x : 6x in its simplest form, where x is a positive number.
(a)2x:3x
(b)4:6
(c)2:3
(d)3:2
19.Work out 3.7 × 24.
(a)8.88
(b)88.8
(c)888
(d)87.8
20.A laptop bag has a mass of 2.4 kg. A school bag has a mass of 3.6 kg. Write the mass of the laptop bag as a fraction of the mass of the school bag, giving your answer in its simplest form.
(a)2/3
(b)2/5
(c)1/3
(d)3/2

How the 20 questions are shared out

Number — 5 questions (25% of the qualification)
Algebra — 4 questions (20% of the qualification)
Ratio, proportion and rates of change — 5 questions (25% of the qualification)
Geometry and measures — 3 questions (15% of the qualification)
Probability — 2 questions (7.5% of the qualification)
Statistics — 1 question (7.5% of the qualification)

Where an area has fewer printable questions than its share, the shortfall is filled from the other areas. These are original questions, not past papers.